2017 Cadillac CT6 plug-in hybrid sedan reviewed by LA Times

While the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and the Chevy Malibu Hybrid rack up four-figure sales in most months, the third vehicle to use elements of that same drivetrain remains all but invisible in the U.S.

That's the 2017 Cadillac CT6 Plug-In Hybrid, a version of the CT6 large luxury sedan from GM's luxury brand.

The plug-in CT6 is the sole offering from Cadillac that comes with a plug following the sales failure of the small, expensive ELR range-extended electric coupe built on first-generation Volt underpinnings.

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Cadillac has said it expects to sell fewer than 1,000 of the plug-in CT6 versions a year in the U.S.

Its main market is China, where it's built, and where the small number sold in the U.S. will be assembled.

And its only major sales market here is likely to be the state of California (and perhaps a handful of other states that have adopted its emission rules).

The newspaper got 30 miles without any impact on the car's gasoline range, and called the plug-in CT6 "whisper quiet," while also complimenting its acceleration, quoted at 5.2 seconds to get from 0 to 60 mph.

The hybrid CT6 model carries over one appealing feature from the Volt and Bolt EV: a paddle behind the left-hand side of the steering wheel that lets the driver increase regenerative braking to slow the car.

Unlike the Volt, which stays entirely in electric mode under all but a few extreme circumstances or low temperatures, the CT6 plug-in model chooses its power source based on the driver's demands.

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Light-footed drivers will keep the car entirely in electric mode, but foot-to-the-floor driving kicks in the gasoline engine, assisted by the substantial torque from the car's pair of electric motors.

Competitors for Cadillac's plug-in hybrid sedan are versions of various BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo luxury sedans.

The company says, however, that despite a starting price of about $75,000, the CT6 Plug-In Hybrid is $20,000 to $40,000 less expensive than comparably equipped versions of those luxury sedans.